


Sword And Flower Crown

by CruelisnotMason



Series: Multi-chap fics for an all-nighter [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Altean Colony (Voltron), Altean Culture (Voltron), Altean Keith (Voltron), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Galra Shiro (Voltron), Galran Culture (Voltron), Getting Together, M/M, Minor Character Death, Quantum Abyss (Voltron), Sheith Reverse Bang: Wedding Edition, Slow Build, Strangers to Lovers, Wedding traditions, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:29:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21824440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CruelisnotMason/pseuds/CruelisnotMason
Summary: And most unbelievable of it all—“Takashi?” the man asks. “What is it, Babe?” he laughs.—He’s an Altean._________________Shiro is truly glad he escaped captivity. His team may consist of an angry Altean and three people of a species so unimportant he'd never heard of them before - with one of them constantly asking about what it's like to be Galra - but he also never could have dreamt that being part of Team Voltron would bring him security or acceptance - or love.
Relationships: Allura & Shiro (Voltron), Hunk & Shiro (Voltron), Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Series: Multi-chap fics for an all-nighter [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1356688
Comments: 41
Kudos: 197
Collections: Sheith Reverse Big Bang 2019





	1. I've found you

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for [leggy](https://twitter.com/leggyorlyb) who beta'd this story! <3
> 
> My partner for this bang was [YukiYamino](https://twitter.com/xYukiYaminox) who delivered the this art [here](https://twitter.com/xYukiYaminox/status/1206735474968023041?s=19) that gave me the inspiration for this fic! 

Shiro doesn’t want to doubt his new team but there are certain reasons for him to suspect why he got sent on a dangerous mission together with Hunk.

A Galra that was recently released from the deep prison complex inside of Zarkon’s fleet and is known to be a radical killer doesn't seem like the most favorable teammate. And Hunk seems to get along with people, no matter how different. The other three — the princess, the short one and the dumb one — not so much. 

Shiro can’t complain. The mission gives him something he hadn’t had in a while: Peace and quiet. He can stare outside of his lion, Black, and watch how stars and meteors fly by as they enter the vast nothingness far away from the Castle of Lions. Hunk is one of Voltron’s members who he can really appreciate. Aside from Hunk, there's only the lanky noisy one and the young Paladin who he tries to get along with. They act as if they are okay with a Galra on their team and hide their disdain. Shiro can ignore that much. Then there’s the Altean princess who shows her hate without hesitation.

Hunk, out of them all, is true to his feelings downright scared of Shiro. It’s something he can work with.

“How did I end up on a mission with the only Galra on the team,” he hears the human mutter over the communications.

“Hunk.” Shiro startles the Yellow Paladin out of his trance by addressing him. There’s a dull thud. He must have hit his head.

“Yeah?” Hunk’s voice is tentative.

“I can hear you. Your hand is on the communicator.”

Despite being the reason for Hunk’s unhappiness, there’s a smile in Shiro’s voice. He must look on the upside: He’s not in a stinky dark prison cell or fighting for his life in the arena right now. He’s also not trying to dodge the princess’ hateful comments. Life is good, he thinks.

They pass Norloxes’ Galaxy in a flash, watch the milky, white cluster of stars from afar. Shiro leans back in the lion, accepting his presence in his head and humming the ghost of a song he knew as a kid. A folklore hymn his mother had sang to him when he was scared of the dark, unable to fall asleep.

“Say. Shiro.”

“Hm?”

“You’re one of the good Galra, right?”

Shiro has to laugh quietly to himself. He pushes the communications button a second later, voice neutral. “Nah. I’m one of the bad guys.”

Hunk swallowing the lump in his throat is audible. Incredible. “Uhhhh. Not good. Uh. Not good, I should call Allura-“

“Hunk!” Shiro laughs openly. “I’m kidding. I’m as good as they get.”

The Yellow Paladin is kind, Shiro knows. He’s a mechanic and a genius; next to Pidge the smartest one of their crew. But even more than that, Hunk trusts in people. Shiro listens to him exhaling the breath Hunk didn’t notice he’d been holding and settling back on the small screen in his seat.

The first part of their voyage is uneventful. Relaxing, even. Shiro tries not to dive too deep-down memory lane and occupies his thoughts with team strategies and team bonding exercises he could introduce as soon as they come back. He must at least try to get along with Allura. If not for himself, at least for the battle against the Galra.

Their current mission was suggested by the Blades of Marmora. Sometimes Shiro wishes he wasn’t chosen by the Black Lion and could work with them instead, but he acknowledges that he must do what is right. Being on this mission now, Shiro doesn’t feel like he’s doing something valuable.

Lost in his own thoughts, he doesn’t notice Hunk’s breathing getting quicker. When he does, he’s on alert: This might have been a relaxed journey until now, but it doesn’t mean it’ll stay that way.

“Hunk?” he growls deep from his throat. “What’s wrong?”

“We arrived at the outer ring of the quantum abyss,” he answers in an instant. Then suddenly, there’s the sound of him retching - the feeble human still doesn’t have his gag reflex under control. Sometimes Shiro wondered if he should take Hunk by the side and teach him how to.

“And?” Shiro is impatiently waiting for the retching to be done. “What do you see?”

“Unidentified objects. The monitors pick up energy frames similar to quintessence energy, but—”

There’s a blinding light before Hunk can finish his sentence. Shiro’s eyes burn when it hits them hard - the lions stay in their lane, unaffected, but Shiro feels as if his body did a backwards somersault out of the flying vehicle and into a pool full of glycerin.

“What—”

If he didn’t know better, Shiro would have assumed that the blinding light catapulted him into oblivion, right into a feverish dream.

The light doesn’t cease for another minute, blinding but warming him at the same time. Shiro blinks the tears from his eyes to try and gain back his eyesight. The light stays until it slowly fades into a warm orange of a summer sunset.

“What’s this planet,” Shiro murmurs, accompanied by a low growl from his throat. He doesn’t trust this.

Suddenly, there’s noise behind him, people, tons of people talking, chatting and murmuring. Shiro turns too quickly and almost loses his balance as he tries to see what is going on.

Right there, behind him are standing dozens of people, some he knows and some he doesn’t know. He spots Allura and for a moment he feels relieved because it means that all is good and there’s no danger. Next to her stands a tall Altean with short hair, eyes piercing and cold, mustering Shiro for a while until the person starts smiling. She’s older than Shiro by many years.

“Mom,” someone says from right next to Shiro. “Stop looking at him like that. He won’t be able to say yes if you intimidate him!”

Before Shiro looks to his side and to the unfamiliar voice, he looks down at himself. His mind starts dizzying as he spots the wedding gowns on his body. Wedding. He’s going to get married.

“Shit!” he curses in his profanest Galran, startling the person next to him. Before he can turn around, he feels the hand at his own, the feeling of it smooth against his short fur. “Takashi,” someone mutters his first name, one that falls foreign to his ears but oh so familiar at the same time, and comforting, to top it all off. Against his intuition, he relaxes. “Takashi,” the voice says again, laugh-tinted, rosy, cool to his rapid heartbeat, “you haven’t cursed in Galran for a long time...”

Before Shiro can finally turn to the source of the voice, the white light hits him again.

The Lions hit a meteor, for their pilots both have been out of it. He hears Hunk shout for his name in desperation, the communicator tinning his anxious-ridden voice.

“Hunk,” he murmurs groggily. “I’m fine. Fuck.” The Galran curse feels good on his tongue. Shiro regains control of Black again and pilots him upright, away from the rock. “Stop shouting, my ears will start bleeding.”

“Ah. Hahaha. Sorry, man. You scared me!”

Instead of asking Hunk anything in return, Shiro rubs his head in confusion.

“Man, that scared me,” Hunk tells him but doesn’t clarify what scared him.

“Yeah,” Shiro breathes. “Let’s watch out for anything that comes our way. Maybe we can dodge it the next time.”

“Like a good game of Dodgeball,” Hunk murmurs.

“What was that?” Shiro asks.

“Uh. Earth-reference,” Hunk says instead of explaining.

Shiro rolls his eyes. But everyone dares to point out when they don’t understand him when he makes Galran jokes or references. The Earthlings talk non-stop about some pop-culture reference nobody else gets.

Like the good leader he is, Shiro doesn’t voice his pettiness. “Let’s head forward. We gotta arrive at least someday.”

“Affirmative,” Hunk replies, voice firmer and less filled of angst than it has been before.

For the next few vargas, Shiro stays completely quiet, mulling over the things he saw. His mind wanders back to the Altean Lady with the piercing eyes and short hair. Altea is gone, Shiro thinks, and with the planet all the Alteans that exist, except for Coran and Allura.

If Shiro didn’t know it better, he would assume that the Alteans lied to him and the Earthlings. Maybe they know that there are other Alteans out there.

But Shiro saw the downfall of Altea as a little child. He can still hear his father’s words from back then.

_From the big Galran cruiser, the red fires and black smoke is best visible. Shiro presses both of his palms against his face, blocking what he can from the view of billions of people dying and with them a planet that once flourished so beautifully._

_“Watch, Shiro. See how the biggest enemies of the Empire crash and burn.”_

_But Shiro holds his hands in place, firmly. He can smell the smoke and the burn, even though they shouldn’t be able to. But the memory of standing in the middle of a battlefield, seeing people burn and die right in front of him is enough. He starts retching._

_Shiro blocks the memory of the scent as good as he can and holds his throat. “What did they do, dad?” They don’t deserve this, he doesn’t say._

_“They dared to revolt against us. All enemies must die, son. Vrepit Sa.” The yellow glow of his father’s eyes pierces right through him._

Shiro shakes out of the memory, suddenly realizing the white shimmer of light at the edges of his vision. His breath is shaky, the grip around Black’s controls tightening, beads of sweat running down his forehead. “Hah. Hh.” He swallows and rubs his temples, puts his hands back onto the controls.

“Norlax. Neverus. Nirlx,” Shiro murmurs.

“What?” Hunk asks surprised. Shiro had unknowingly opened the communicator.

“Calming exercise,” Shiro confesses for the lack of a good lie. “All planets around Daibazaal that start with N.”

There’s a hum, then a smack of lips. “Ahhh. Smart! Back when we trained in the Garrison’s simulators, I did that too.” Hunk pauses and makes a humming sound. “I still threw up, though.”

Shiro doesn’t answer and blocks the communicator.

Focus.

Focus.

_Focus._

It takes him two seconds to get up from his seat and he runs around in circles inside the Lion’s cockpit. Black murmurs in his head but it’s not the pleasant sound that Shiro grew accustomed to.

_“It’s not a surprise that this Lion chose you, Galra,” Allura spits out, eyes fiery but she doesn’t explain. Shiro knows who the lion belonged to, anyway._

_“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” he returns and makes a broad stance in the Castle’s control room. “We’re on the same side, remember?”_

_“I don’t remember,” Allura’s cold voice returns. She’s right, Shiro thinks. She’s right with doubting me. Who wouldn’t?_

“Hunk,” he shouts through the communicators as soon as he gains consciousness. “We have to stay focused! These memories,” he takes deep breaths, “Or illusions will get the better of us!”

He hears Hunk rummage, then groan. “What?” Then another groan. “What do you mean? They are really pleasant! It has been years since I last remembered my niche’s birthday where Uncle—”

“Hunk!” Shiro shouts, nerves wrecking. The Yellow Paladin shuts up and Shiro instantly regrets it.

“I’m sorry,” he relents quickly and falls back into his seat. “Sorry, Hunk. I’m…it’s giving me headaches. I don’t, uhm. I don’t like reminiscing the past.”

There’s an accepting hum from Hunk, but no answer. A sign that he truly fucked up and intimidated the one guy who has been nothing but accepting of Shiro.

Hunk stays silent and so does Shiro. When he closes his eyes, he has a few minutes in peace without memories haunting him. He feels the white light hitting him quickly, soothingly and just lets it happen.

_Shiro’s head lies in the lap of someone. He listens to a low and happy purr before realizing that it’s his own. Someone’s fingernails scratch the back of his head, someone with smooth skin. Shiro perks up in surprise and looks at the owner of the nails._

_It’s a man with white hair, piercing eyes and marks beneath that glow faintly in the morning sun. “What is it?” he asks surprised but Shiro can’t speak, can’t react, his brain is a big mess. His mind circles around the thought how such a beautiful looking person would let him sleep in his lap and pet his head—_

_And most unbelieving of it all,_

_“Takashi?” the man asks. “What is it, Babe?” the voice laughs._

_He’s an Altean._

This time, the memory lets Shiro go gently. His breath his slow, his head feels dull even though his mind is running in circles. His heart feels warm but unbelieving. For a few seconds, he mulls over it alone, but then he opens the communicators.

“Hunk,” he asks tentatively. When there’s no answer, he takes a steading breath, then proceeds. “What do you think about me marrying an Altean?”

Shiro can’t hide the smile in his question. When he hears Hunk’s low laugh, he’s relieved and happy he asked. They pick up somewhere else entirely and leave whatever happened before back there. Shiro is glad that Hunk isn’t someone who likes being remorseful.

“I don’t know, man,” Hunk says and giggles gleefully. “Are we talking Coran? Because man, I could imagine it.”

“No!” Shiro objects with feeling. “Not that I don’t like Coran or that he isn’t… but, you know—”

“It’s okay, my friend,” Hunk laughs and hums in thought. “There’s no one else, unless you and Allura—”

“No, no. Not that either.”

“Then what Altean are we talking about?”

Shiro wonders if it’s worth explaining to Hunk that apparently, he has fantasies about marrying a white haired Altean guy that doesn’t even exist, for whatever reason. Shiro doesn’t get why his brain would make the guy up in the first place but maybe Hunk has a solid explanation, as a people person and an engineer. He’s smart, after all.

Also, Shiro needs to not lose hope and confide in his team. It’s strange but he has to talk about it.

“It’s weird,” Shiro starts and thinks of the voice of the Altean, his bright hair, the purple eyes and his smile. He thinks of the Altean lady that must be his mother, because they resemble each other a lot. “Don’t laugh, but I think—”

“Hold that thought, Shiro.” Hunk’s communicator closes and then opens again. “There’s a planet.”

“A planet?” Shiro asks and looks at his screens. They must have passed the quantum abyss, but there’s nothing to see. Just another mission that ends up with nothing.

“Yes!” Hunk’s voice is aspirated and he’s excited. Or anxious? Sometimes it’s hard to tell.

“I’m sending you the picture my _quadratum_ _system_ took. There’s a planet. I swear. It’s hidden.”

When they speculated about what they’ll find after traveling through the quantum abyss, there were several theories. Most Blades proposed the possibility of a super weapon, something the Galra worked on for a long time. Shiro thinks there must be something else. Within ten thousand years, the Empire had colonized many planets without their weaponry or technology further ahead than other planets. Shiro assumes what they’ll find is not a superweapon but a kryptonite.

A planet was the last thing he’d expect but Shiro just assumes that it simply could be a place where the Empire had hidden something.

“Wh-what do you think? We just turn around and tell the others?” Hunk’s voice is shivering. Shiro suppresses the urge to roll his eyes.

“We’re going in, Hunk.”

He listens to Hunk’s not-so-subtle whimper and takes a steadying breath.

“Oh. Okay,” Hunk says and Shiro smiles.

“There there,” he purrs. “You’re becoming braver with each day, Yellow Paladin.”

There’s a snort, then another whimper. “Thanks, Shiro,” Hunk sobs.

With the cloaking turned on, they directly head to the planet. Shiro thinks they are particularly lucky they found a spot where they could breach the security dome that cups the planet.

The beasts rip a hole into the dome, the surface crackling in bright violet flashes. They slowly sink into the dome, nerves on edge, ready to escape again or battle their way through but when they look around, there’s nothing but trees and silence.

“Do you think somebody lives here?” Hunk asks.

They sink further down, beneath the blue horizon and the green crowns. Shiro doesn’t react, eyebrows furrowed in thought and jaw set in anticipation of a threat that isn’t coming for them.

“Let’s find out,” he says.

They realize that it’s for the best if they just leave their lions in the depth of the woods. They quickly realize they are able to breathe oxygen as soon as they leave the lions.

“It’s similar to Earth,” Hunk remarks, looking up through the trees to the blue sky. “Except that we aren’t trapped beneath a huge fucking dome as if it’s the Truman Show.”

“The—” Shiro starts to ask but thinks better of it than to ask, worrying about the lengthy explanation he’s going to get about another Earth movie he doesn’t know.

“Let’s move quickly and quietly,” he advises and starts into a direction. If it stays that peaceful, they won’t have issues finding out what is hidden on the planet, with the possibility that they’ll find nothing.

Hunk quickly follows him and pulls up next to Shiro, turning his head to him. “Did you ever do stuff like this before?” he asks. “Missions where you’re just sent into the absolute nowhere—”

“No,” Shiro quickly answers and can’t help the snarky remark that lies on his tongue. “The people who imprisoned me wanted me still close to them and alive, other than Team Voltron.”

It makes Hunk shut up effectively. Shiro ignores the guilty expression on Hunk’s face and keeps moving. They walk in silence, pass fields of flowers, green grass and waterfalls, a small brook that guides their way and thick oaks that blocks it. The planet is exquisite and even Shiro who grew up on Daibazaal and is used to another kind of flora and fauna sees the appeal. He doesn’t comment on the tears that form in the corners of Hunk’s eyes. The Earthling is young and even though Shiro isn’t, he still can feel the painful throb of homesickness.

There were enough signs on their way through the quantum abyss that Shiro could have expected it but in the end he’s as flabbergasted as Hunk, standing far away from a mass of people that have gathered around a Galra fleet. The ship is different from the typical A3-231 fleets of the Empire, but they are Galran nonetheless.

“Humans,” Hunk mutters but Shiro knows better.

“No,” he mutters even though they are far enough for none of them to hear him. “Alteans.”

They manage to sneak closer undetected but try to not come too close and risk it all. As Shiro’s thoughts are muddling over the fact that there are dozens of Alteans here, alive and healthy, they watch as they line up and get selected. After their selection they enter the Galran fleet under the happy cries of their family members.

“What do you think is happening there?” Hunk asks him.

“I have no idea,” he says with a wary gaze at the sentries and the Alteans. “But something tells me it’s not good.”

One person suddenly walks to the plateau, white hair swaying in the wind. His legs are long and his armor is heavy. He has grown, too. Shiro hasn’t seen him in forever, since he’s been in captivity, since Zarkon decided who he could use better.

“It’s Lotor,” Shiro murmurs. Hunk looks up and sees his figure tall and threatening hovering over the Altean audience. They don’t fear him, they cheer, they cry, the applaud him. Shiro feels like he’s going to get sick. Whatever crazy game Lotor is playing here, they have to stop him.

“Alteans. Family. Friends,” Lotor starts his speech. The empty words echo down the platform and over the heads, over the lands and stop only at the border to the woods. Shiro wonders if they should get back to the Lions and approach Lotor here before he sees a figure quicker than a shadow move past Lotor.

The applauding, the cheers and the laughter morphs into shocked cries when a fountain of blood splatters over the platform and the tall body falls lifeless to the ground.

Shiro spots the attacker after the initial shock and he looks right back at him. It’s the first time he sees his Altean husband.


	2. I'll find you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _But it’s a big day, naturally, Shiro worries. Something could start to burn or the Altean who was ordered to sing a song during the ceremony could bail in the end. Shiro hopes that despite the fact that he’s Galra, the ancients will shine upon them today, if only they do so for Keith._

Shiro shouldn’t be afraid to do this step today and frankly, he isn’t. There are a few things he worries about in general, like that he will forget his vows or his ring doesn’t fit, or that his hands will shiver too much when he tries to pull Keith’s ring onto his index finger. Compared to what he’s used to, it’s peanuts (a saying he learned from Pidge). But it’s a big day, naturally, Shiro worries. Something could start to burn or the Altean who was ordered to sing a song during the ceremony could bail in the end. Shiro hopes that despite the fact that he’s Galra, the ancients will shine upon them today, if only they do so for Keith.

Their wedding is not only a celebration for them both. Over the course of planning the whole charade it became a symbol for many, mostly a symbol of a party to celebrate that peace was brought to the universe and that the war is over. Shiro never even had a birthday party when he was little – something the Paladins from Earth told him about – and in general isn’t used to being celebrated. But things changed. His team accepted him and accepted his and Keith’s relationship as it is. There were some hardships but in the end they could pull through it together.

Today is the day where they celebrate each other just as much as Shiro and Keith celebrate each other. Shiro can’t believe he is alive to witness the day someone would pledge his loyalty to him and still wonders how he was able to receive such blessing. He guesses, luck was on his side the day he asked Keith to marry him.

There was a lot to plan, but both Keith and Shiro were impatient. They decided to get a traditional Altean ceremony like the ones Keith saw on the colony. Despite Keith’s disdain for the colony and for the Alteans who lived side by side with him, not believing him until right before the end, it’s part of what makes him him, it’s part of his culture. There are only little influences of the Galran culture Shiro wanted to have in the ceremony, but Keith would have agreed to any of it. Despite both being not so sweet on the history of their culture and their people, they both agreed that they don’t want the lame ass Earthling ceremonies Hunk, Lance and Pidge told them about.

The morning sun blinds harshly both Shiro and Keith who are up before everyone else. After a quick breakfast, they took their time arriving at the wedding venue where everything else will take place, too. Despite planning most of the day, they left it to Coran to arrange what will and won’t happen or when it happens. Now Coran is the only one who seems to have an idea about the schedule on their special day, and Coran started going crazy with planning the event, as usual. They offered him the little finger and Coran took the whole hand.

“I’m happy he printed us a schedule,” Shiro bends down to mutter into Keith’s ear. “I kind of lost trail of what he wanted us to do.”

“Yeah, me too,” Keith mutters back, standing on his tip toes. “But it’s going to be fine. We’ll just do the things for the campaign and the peacekeeping and so on and after that it’s going to be our ceremony and lots of food. And we’ll have some quiet time to ourselves.”

“Thank the ancients,” Shiro sighs. Keith smiles at him and takes his hand, places a kiss on his nose.

“It’s going to be the most wonderful day of our lives, Shiro,” Keith mutters into Shiro’s sensitive, sensitive ears.

At those words, Shiro visibly relaxes. He looks down at the marriage gown Keith wears and appreciates how it hugs in all the right places. The angular shapes and his muscular legs are emphasized. Shiro thanks the ancients for that, too.

“You look amazing,” he mutters into his soon-to-be husband’s pointy ears. “I can’t wait to bring you into my den tonight.”

“Your den?” The corners of Keith’s mouth perk up. “Shiro,” he mutters and turns to him, embracing him on the spot. From what Shiro knew, Alteans weren’t usually cuddly or sweet on touching but this one was. “Keith,” he mumbles into the beautiful white hair and kisses the top of his head. “Tonight, when I bring you in my den,” he mumbles feverish with Keith’s amused chuckle in his ear, “I will kiss your whole body and then I’ll—”

“Good morning, lovebirds!” Coran interrupts whatever dirty little thing Shiro was about to mutter into Keith’s ears. The “lovebirds” stay there with locked arms and pressed bodies but turn to Coran. “Ready for the ‘Voltron and the White Lion brought Peace and Freedom to the Universe AND a married power couple with it’-photo shoot?”

Keith groans and turns away from Shiro. Too bad they don’t have a few more minutes for Shiro to tell him more about what he’s going to do to him in his den.

“Ready whenever you are, Coran,” Shiro answers for them both, nudges his fiancé’s head softly with his own. “Come on, it’ll be fun.”

“As much fun as ignoring Coran would be?” Keith asks quietly, smirk on his face. Shiro looks down at him from the side, eyebrow raised. “Much _much_ more,” he answers. With a roll of eyes Keith takes a breath and follows Coran.

The photographer is a professional and it’s becoming evident quickly. She shoos Coran away the moment he tries to take control of the situation and completely focuses on the grooms.

“You both look amazing,” she tells them, two arms setting up her camera and one arm adjusting the light. “I bet you’re both nervous.”

“No,” Keith deadpans. “Are you?” he asks Shiro and turns his head up to him.

Shiro grins down. “I am! It’s a big day, okay?”

Keith starts forgetting his own tension about the photo shoot and smiles at his boyfriend. “Babe,” he says and takes his hand.

Suddenly a bright flashing light startles them both.

“Sorry guys!” the photographer chimes in. “Forgot to turn the flash off. Now we’re ready to go. Just like this one more time, hmh?”

Shiro can tell that Keith might not be nervous about their big day but he’s nervous about being photographed. Technology on the colony was sparse and Keith hasn’t yet fully adapted to life outside yet. When Shiro puts a hand on Keith’s shoulder, Keith startles again, cold eyes looking up to Shiro.

“Keith,” Shiro says and breaks him out of it. His eyes soften and he nods. They both turn to the photographer, body tense and awaiting.

“You can really feel the love,” the photographer smiles. “Just move around each other and pretend I’m not here, alright? This hour is yours.”

When they move on to practicing the ceremonial gestures, Shiro wishes the quiet of the photoshoot back where it was just them (and a very quiet, very friendly photographer).

“So, Shiro,” Allura says and gives him a long sword with seemingly no effort. “You can’t point the decorated handle backwards as it was seen as menacing and as breach of the marriage contract. In the older times, this started wars.”

“Oh good. We could need another,” Shiro jokes and earns a roll of eyes.

She then turns to Keith. “Keith, you wrote down what you know of the colony’s marriage rituals and I studied them thoroughly.” Allura’s smile is bright, then her eyes wander to the side. “They differ greatly in what I know from Altean customs but I’m willing to make them work.”

Keith’s sigh is a tad annoyed but when Allura looks back to him, he shrugs. “Sounds great, Princess.”

“You wanted the sword transfer first, right?” Allura asks them both. “Then the flower crown and kissing the ankle. Then we leave out the part where the colony’s tradition would be to _hail Lotor_ and exchange it with your vows.”

Shiro shifts at the mention of Lotor and immediately feels Keith’s slender hand on his elbow. Allura’s eyes flicker to him, but she looks down immediately again.

“That’s a lot,” she says as she continues to read her notes, “but we’ll make it work.” Her smile is assuring and Shiro likes to see the genuine happiness in it.

They go through the single steps again and at the end of it, Allura tears up, but wipes away her tears quickly. Shiro doesn’t know if she’d be okay with him hugging her and so he doesn’t but he likes to think that Allura learned, that the Black Lion made her rethink it all and that working together as a team made her come around.

“Enough for practice, right?” Shiro asks her, quick to draw any unwanted attention for the few tears she sheds. “We need to change and freshen up.”

“It’s enough,” she agrees and takes a steadying breath. “The Paladins and I will meet you back here again.”

Allura casts her eyes down, looking at her feet, unsure of what to say. When she looks up, her gaze is steady and her jaw set. “I know we had our differences in the past, Shiro, but I’m happy to welcome you to be a part of the Altean culture.” She bites her lip and turns to Keith, gaze locking with him. “We’re family no matter what,” she tells him. Keith stares at her for a whole minute and even Shiro is unable to tell what he thinks. But Keith soon closes his eyes, soft smile around his lips. “You’re quite the menace, Allura,” he teases and takes a step forward. “Yes. We’re family, no matter what. Not because we’re Alteans.”

Allura takes a step forward to hug him, her slender fingers firmly pressing Keith’s body to her own. When they part, Allura’s eyes flicker to Shiro.

“May I?” she asks, tentatively. “I know I don’t deserve—”

“Just come here, Allura,” Shiro interrupts her. “I’m going to listen to that apology another day, right?” It’s a promise for him.

Allura hugs him tightly, the strength in her embrace from outer space. Her face is squeezed against Shiro’s hard chest. He hears her say a muffled “Right” against it.

When they part and Shiro and Keith walk back to their room together, Keith doesn’t comment on the tears that are already rolling down his fiancé’s face.

Their room is within the building complex of the wedding venue, a little secluded but facing the ocean. They still have time until 3, so they decide to lay on the bed first and rest. “You’re going to be my husband, Shiro.” Keith kisses all the knuckles of Shiro’s left hand, then goes on to kiss the one’s on Shiro’s right hand. Shiro smiles, feeling already a little tired. “Yeah,” he smiles with eyes closed. “You’re going to be mine,” Shiro says, one eye opened to look at Keith who lies in his arm.

“ _Hurrdurr, big Galra, little Keith is mine_ ,” Keith fakes a Galran growls to tease Shiro. It’s so adorable, Shiro might cry again. He loves the little Altean that’s pressed to his side, who loves him with every fiber of his heart. Shiro just can’t believe his luck, can’t believe they are here, alive together. He tells Keith to make him look all mushy and then starts tickling him. The loud and clear laugh that follows is something he could listen to for the rest of his life.

“Stop, stop, please, I surrender,” Keith laughs and squirms. Shiro gives him a rest.

The sounds of the ocean waves hiss in their ears. It’s soothing, relaxing. Keith yawns and stretches, cuddles closer to Shiro.

“How about we skip the ceremony and the banquette, and you just directly bring me into your den,” Keith proposes, reaches out to comb through the hair at the back of Shiro’s head, “you _big, scary_ Galra.”

Shiro moans at the feeling of Keith’s finger in his hair, massaging and tickling there. He could fall asleep like that.

“I’d be so okay with that,” he sighs and leans back. “But if we do, we might just ruin whatever we fixed with Allura,” he argues.

Keith sighs and nods. “You’re right. For Allura, then.”

“For Allura,” Shiro agrees and chuckles. “And for some part, for us, too.”

The ceremony is less stressful than Shiro expected it to be. He remembers turning the sword’s handle to the right side, waits for Keith’s hand to curl around his before they push the blade into the ground together. Shiro then leads the sword under their combined hands to his throat and speaks a Galran vow about false pretenses and his responsibility to Keith. Keith listens with watchful eyes to the Galran hisses and snarls, pupils diluted and eyes open, listening to words, not feelings. Afterwards, Shiro hands him the blade to neatly tuck it away in his scabbard. They both bow down and get to their knees, facing each other, kiss the ground four times and stand again. Keith takes a crown made of flowers and tips up to put it on Shiro’s head. Shiro squats down a little to make it easier. They are both smiling at each other before Shiro moves down to kiss Keith’s ankle.

The vows they both decided to give are short but laced with emotion. Shiro is crying before he started his.

“You are now partners in life, wisdom and death,” the marriage officiant says. “You pledged alliance for all times to come. You agreed to take your partner as they are, to accept yourself and each other throughout all times. You pledged to make Past, Future and Present your own.” Other than weddings on Earth, Altean and Galran weddings both don’t require a kiss but Shiro decides to kiss Keith anyways at the end of the ceremony. When they part to loud applauding from their wedding guests, Shiro looks to his right where Pidge, Lance and Hunk stand, all dressed up in formal uniforms, cheering for them. He looks back to Keith and then to his mom who is sitting in the first row, eyes piercing through him. She smiles.

“We’re husbands,” Keith says and presses into Shiro’s side. “Forever now.”

“Yeah,” Shiro smiles, eyes still teary and face red. “There’s no way to get rid of me now, Keith.”

“Good,” his husband returns and kisses him again.

After the ceremony, they move to the beach together where someone built food stalls, a pillow fort and a beach volleyball net. Thanks to Hunk and Lance the party after the ceremony seems to be very relaxed with everyone changing out of their formal space suits and uniforms to enjoy the warm weather.

Both the sun and the moon are visible on the horizon, wrapping them all in a magical glow.

“I never thought my wedding would be that extra,” Keith tells him. “And Alteans are very extra. Let’s say I just thought I’d die on the colony that day and never get to find someone I love.”

Shiro hugs his newly wed husband tightly and plants multiple kisses into his beautiful hair.

“You found me,” Keith says. “Shiro, you found me on that colony in my worst moment and you still trusted me. You truly found me.”

“We found each other,” Shiro smiles. Keith, too, found Shiro and accepted him for the monster, the weapon he is. And with that he gave Shiro a way to stand up for himself.

Keith smiles now, too, tips up to kiss his husband where they lie on a throne of pillows. “We found each other,” he agrees.

Admittedly, they don’t have a lot of time for each other on their own wedding day. Everyone wants to talk, dance, eat with them or play games. But for that day, they accept their friends joy for them, accept the joy for the war being won and the Empire’s days counted.

Around a big campfire they dance a traditional Altean dance Coran shows them and then play a Galran party game that Shiro still knows from when he was young. Keith looks thrilled when he gets captured by Shiro during the game and giggles the whole time Shiro struggles with him to mark him with the red color on his cheek. Everyone who gets captured and loses the game gets marked up, and Keith squirms and giggles through his mark up the whole time, only admitting defeat when Shiro kisses him on the mouth.

At night, with the last wedding guests slowly leaving, the wedded couple watches the sunset together until it gets too cold to be enjoyable. As promised, Shiro then brings Keith to his den, kissing him and worshipping every inch of the short Altean, his husband, the most stoic, emotional and beautiful person Shiro ever had the pleasure to meet, that, somehow, became his.


	3. I found you

Shiro makes Hunk swear that he won’t tell how they first found Keith. They have something more important to deal with: Rescuing the remaining Alteans before the Witch finds them. It’s urgent, it’s their priority, and something tells Shiro that Allura will be happier without the knowledge of Lotor dying through Keith’s hands.

After the first night back on the Castle of Lions, Shiro introduces Keith to Team Voltron. Hunk nervously fidgets in the back, moving from one foot onto another. Shiro throws him an insistent look. They must talk about Lotor’s death one day but not now.

Pidge doesn’t seem too interested about the new person and instead types away on their laptop. Allura is sobbing loudly and unashamed – she moves closer to Keith who in turn looks like a caged animal in her hug.

“There are Alteans,” she cries. “We’re not completely alone, Coran.”

Lance breaks their hug off. “Allura! Please be cautious. We don’t know where this freak comes from.” He throws an angry look at Keith.

“Hey!” Shiro growls and Lance takes two steps back immediately, eyes wary.

Keith doesn’t really react to it all. He seems overwhelmed, one hand at his temple. “Could I go back to sleep? I’m—”

Before he comes up with an excuse, Allura slaps Lance’s hand away and takes another step closer. “Well of course, you must be exhausted. As soon as you awake, I’m positive we can have another chat.” She places one hand on his shoulder – as she passes Shiro, she purposefully doesn’t look at him. Shiro sighs and looks to Hunk, who only shrugs. At least he’s not green in the face anymore.

“Well, I mean, that went alright?” Hunk says, scratching the back of his head. “Allura seems to love him—”

“I’m going to the pool,” Lance interrupts him, anger barely hidden as he stomps out of the room. Pidge stops typing for a second to roll their eyes, then continues as if nothing has happened.

“Yeah, it did.” Shiro agrees to Hunk’s statement. He ruffles through his white hair, takes a few steps and drops into his pilot seat, exhausted from the past few days. Lotor’s death on the colony was a ride. Everyone started panicking but Shiro and Hunk were able to flee to the woods undetected but directly ran into Keith there. Keith was dipped in fresh blood from head to toe, breathing rapidly with his chest heaving harshly. Hunk almost crapped his pants. Shiro decided quickly. Now they are all here.

If possible, Team Voltron got even more unstable now that they came back with Keith. But Shiro doesn’t need to fool himself. Team Voltron wasn’t working from the start.

For the first time in a while, they have time. Zarkon’s dead and so is his son, Lotor. The Empire lies in shambles upon them, ready to be picked apart further. They suspected the remaining druids could be planning their strike but they only ever followed Zarkon and the Witch. If they don’t establish their own political range, they might just hide. Pidge and Hunk move to work to decrypt signals they’ve gotten a while ago. Shiro plans a safe travel for the Alteans to Earth, currently the only planet in the solar system that wasn’t deemed important enough for the Empire to take captive.

They all try to do their best, exercise, make plans, stay in contact with the Blades. Shiro follows them onto missions. On day he discloses the information about Keith to Kolivan.

“If he killed Lotor, he’s not on the side of the Empire,” Shiro argues. Kolivan’s face is grim, but then again, he often looks like that.

“Deciding against the Empire means nothing in an area where the Empire lies in shambles. You of all people should know that, Shiro.” The corners of Kolivan’s mouth couldn’t be turned downwards harder. Shiro grimaces, too.

“I’ll have an eye on him,” Shiro says quickly in hope Kolivan won’t tell Allura. He doesn’t think Keith was able to kill someone who meant harm. Keith probably only killed Lotor in his life and Shiro knows with reason, that that might have been a good decision in the end.

Three days later he boards the Castle of Lions again, first of all, to try and find Keith.

When he finds him, the Altean isn’t alone. Allura is in his company, telling him about the spring on Altea, combing through his hair. It could be a quiet scene, a positive picture but Keith’s mouth is sour and his shoulders are tense.

Shiro doesn’t comment on it, takes a few steps into the room. Keith perks up as his eyes find him, his mouth opens to greet him, but before he’s able to, Allura speaks in his place.

“You’re not needed here, Black Paladin.” Her voice is cold – she’s still not looking at him.

“How do you even know I’m still Galra, when you’re never looking at me?” Shiro is not proud of losing his temper with the Princess, but proud to be able to suffocate his anger in bitchiness. Keith snorts and Shiro can’t help but grin, too. Allura has nothing of it. “Out! Now!”

Shiro leaves, satisfied in knowing that Allura is still trailing Keith every step of his way, asking him questions or talking to him about Altea, which he never got to know. If Keith plans anything, she will know first, Shiro thinks.

A couple of days later, several things happen at the same time.

Shiro is ordered to check up on the Alteans that are on their way to Earth but in the hangars he notices for the first time, that the steady hum of Black in his head is gone. He’s still able to crawl through the hatch in the beast’s mouth but when he flops into the pilot seat, the Lion stays unresponsive.

In an instant, Shiro knows he needs to talk to the others, tell them he isn’t part of their Team anymore. His heart hurts from thinking about it and yet his sense for responsibility gets the better of him. He runs to the Castle of Lions. Any minute without control over Voltron means vulnerability to them all.

The door swooshes open with a small hiss and Shiro stumbles in. All the Paladins are present, and Keith is standing at Allura’s side. While she seems to explain the Castle’s controls to him, he stares out of the window, not listening. Then she reaches for his hand, Keith’s eyebrows furrow and his nose pinches – Shiro sees it coming from miles away—

“Stop touching me!” Keith snaps and pulls his hand away from Allura’s grip. “Stop talking to me, stop annoying me, Allura.”

Everyone in the room turns their head – Lance looks surprised and Coran, too. Pidge raises one eyebrow, but something tells Shiro that they already knew it’s going to happen one day.

“Keith,” Shiro says, reaching out. The Altean looks to him, surprised. His eyes muster Shiro for a few moments until he turns back to Allura.

“The ideal you made up to live in my place,” Keith hisses and pauses, “it’s gotta die, Allura.”

The flash of white hair is the last thing they all see of him for that day. After a few moments of collecting herself, Allura turns to Shiro, face foul, looking at Shiro like he’s personally responsible for Keith being sick of her.

“Before you say anything,” Shiro says, harshly, never having raised his voice like that toward Allura, “there’s something more important. The Black Lion doesn’t want me as its pilot anymore.”

The biggest shock comes to Allura when the Black Lion, Zarkon’s lion, chooses her. Shiro doesn’t comment on it when they all tell him, just nods. A couple days later, Keith finds the Red Lion humming in his head and that’s that. Shiro is not needed anymore.

Allura is angry with both Keith and Shiro, but she comes around and apologizes to Keith after at least a week. Keith nods, still wary of her and doesn’t say that he accepts the apology. Shiro doesn’t know what they talk about later, but Allura treats him differently, even though not favorable.

Unexpectedly, Allura comes to him to ask about the Black Lion.

“Since you flew him once, Shiro,” she addresses him, Altean accent thick to Shiro’s furred ears, “I thought I might ask you about him.”

“I don’t think I can help you,” Shiro tells her in return and knows he’s being stubborn.

“I know you can,” Allura insists, eyes casting down. “You can help me…deal with the feeling of flying him when he was… since he is…”

“Zarkon’s Lion,” Shiro finishes her sentence numbly.

“Yes!” Allura looks up to him, crystal eyes mustering him. Shiro wonders how she can be so expressive and still not carry as much emotion as Keith does.

“There’s just this…” she pauses, words only slowly parting with her, “He killed so many. I’m nothing like him. He killed father but now I fly his Lion—"

It’s Shiro’s lowest moment. He’s fed up, he’s angry. He flew the Black Lion before and Allura did not care for his wellbeing while doing so. “And now you’re flying him. You and Zarkon have things in common now. He might be my father—” Shiro growls, eyes piercing through Allura, “But he chose you. And if I was you, Allura,” he adds. “I’d think long and hard about what that means.”

For the first time, he’s not obedient, he’s not taking Allura’s anger. Shiro turns and flees before he can see her face, unable to witness if it’s shattered.

Shiro hides in his room in the Castle of Lions while Team Voltron goes on their missions. Allura completely stopped speaking to him, always wears a wary gaze around him. If the Blades weren’t unavailable and on a mission of their own, Shiro would have packed his things and left. When they are gone, he talks to Coran, talks to him about Allura. Coran nods and listens to him, shrugs when he asks what he should do. “She’s quite a piece, Shiro,” is the advice he offers, “but her feelings aren’t coming from anywhere, you know.”

Shiro knows. The guilt he feels for his family and his nation is immense. There’s nothing to be undone and deep down Shiro thinks Allura has the right to treat him that way.

Shiro plays an old game of Modgenbol by himself in his room when Keith bursts in after one of the missions of Team Voltron. Shiro looks up the moment Keith looks down to where he sits on the floor, playing with the ball all by himself. Keith doesn’t seem to know the game and gets closer, curiously until he sits next to Shiro on the ground.

Keith notices his distressed gaze. “What?”

Shiro blushes. “Didn’t know Alteans sit on the ground,” he lies.

“What?” Keith squeaks, then starts laughing. “You’re even more clueless than Allura.”

Shiro is shy – despite being 2 meters tall, despite being a big scary Galra. Despite having fought in an arena for as long as he knows, as a defect of an heir, useless until he got healed and his arm got replaced by a weapon. Shiro is shy, and when Keith shuffles closer to inspect the ball, he gets red.

With everything happening, Shiro’s mind is scattered. But there’s one thing, he can’t forget.

“How do you play it?” Keith asks him, throwing the ball up in his hand and catching it again. His eyes following the movement, Shiro bites his lower lip. There’s a brief touch when he takes the ball from Keith’s hand, resulting in his cheeks growing even redder.

Shiro is not an idiot. Keith is handsome; he’s strong, muscular, has amazing eyes and can slay people. Of course Shiro’s Galra heritage turns crazy with everything Keith oozes. Too late he realizes that Keith is waiting for an answer, staring directly into Shiro’s face. Waiting for Shiro to say something, while he’s fighting his complete blackout.

“Uhh.” Shiro looks from Keith to the ball in his hand. “Like this—”

He throws it against the wall with too much force and it slaps right back into his face. Shiro topples over, holding his face.

“Shiro!” Keith shouts and ducks to the ground to look at him. “Are you okay?”

“I am, I am,” Shiro reassures him and still holds his head. If he had paid a little more attention, he’s sure the ball would have passed the wall and found the bucket that he should have aimed at. All thoughts of regret leave him, when Keith leans over him, face concerned.

“Really?” Keith asks quietly, hand on Shiro’s face. He’s stroking the cheek and _oops_ , Shiro would have never took him for the touchy type. Involuntarily, he starts purring which in return makes Keith pull his hand back again. “What—” Keith says, eyes wide but dreamily. “What was that?”

“I, uhh. It’s just, my chest does this when I’m comfortable—”

“How are you comfortable right now?” Keith laughs and Shiro thinks it’s the most beautiful thing he ever saw. When Shiro is awake at night and replays the memories, or illusions, replaying the scenes of his wedding with Keith in his mind, the cruel image of Keith killing Lotor disturbs his mind and startles him from being half-asleep.

But this Keith, hovering above him, looks so gentle. Even with the atmosphere surrounding him that is typical for the three Alteans he knows: Cool, distant and collected.

Shiro doesn’t answer, still stares up at Keith with big eyes.

There’s something in Keith’s eyes, a realization washing over him, that Shiro doesn’t understand. Keith shuffles away and sits with a little distance, hugging his arms around his legs. The carefree smile from just before is wiped from his face and Shiro regrets it, even though he has no idea how it happened and if he was responsible for it. When he raises his head, searching for Keith’s eyes, the Altean man keeps quiet and bites his lower lip, hides his head in between his legs.

“I know you must be mad,” Keith starts, just as Shiro sits up, the bulge on his head already forgotten, “for killing Lotor.” When Shiro doesn’t respond, Keith adds: “Your brother.”

Shiro can’t help the hiss from escaping his mouth and hides his face in his hands. When he resurfaces, Keith’s waiting gaze is on him.

“They’ve long before lost their right to be called my family,” he says.

“You’re not mad?” Keith asks tentatively.

Shiro sighs. “I know you must have had your reasons.”

Surprise bares itself on Keith’s face. He must have calculated Shiro’s anger and not expected his understanding.

“I had,” Keith says then, raising his head. His purple eyes are unmoving, fixed on Shiro’s face. “He kept killing us. Nobody believed me, they were all blind for his promises.”

“Yeah,” Shiro breathes. It’s his turn to shuffle closer, to raise his big paw and touch Keith’s shoulder. Keith is so delicate, so fine, so beautiful. If he weren’t so stoic and strong, Shiro would think he’d break him with the slightest touch.

“I forgive you, Keith.” He says the words before he can overthink him. But they are the right ones. Keith closes his eyes, a gentle tear running down his face.

Keith continues to visit him, Shiro continues to stay. He doesn’t know what’s up with Allura to put up with him, but from time to time she greets him, face close to a neutral smile. Shiro is puzzled but in the end accepts it. He does missions for the Blades since their return but ultimately he stays with Team Voltron despite having no Lion.

Keith barges into his room unannounced, brings food or plays Shiro’s childhood games with him. While Team Voltron is searching for Honerva and reclaiming planets with the Alteans from the colony supporting their every move, They fall asleep in Shiro’s bed together one evening with Shiro waking up from his nightmares.

“I can’t anymore, no more fighting—” Shiro cries and moves around, the arm glowing in the darkness.

“Shiro, Shiro, I’m here, you’re safe—” Keith’s voice penetrates the muddle of feverish dreams, takes Shiro by the hand and pulls, pulls, pulls—

Until Shiro surfaces again.

Keith holds him and it becomes a pattern of them hanging out, chatting and playing when they have the time, sometimes sparring on the training deck when they are still energized. Sometimes, Keith just falls asleep in Shiro’s room and Keith takes him to his bed at some point and falls asleep to wishing the fantasies of the quantum abyss were true after all and one day he will marry Keith. But it must be a play of a higher force of the universe to trick him like that. If wishes were to come true in general, Shiro would rather have it the other way around. In the darkness of the night and the emptiness of the universe, Shiro more often dreams of being taken apart in a scientist’s office, his essence taken, reformed and relocated. He’s dreaming of clones.

Keith is like a healing ointment on the scars of Shiro’s soul by simply staying close, his beauty beaming brightness into the darkest corners of Shiro’s mind. When Shiro looks at him, he forgets all dreams, good or bad, and just wants to stay with Keith as long as he can.

“We still don’t know what Honerva is planning,” Allura states at their next meeting, fully fleshed into the leader role. When Shiro sees her taking action like that, he thinks he maybe was never fitting that role in the first place. No wonder the Black Lion didn’t want him anymore.

Or, a small part in him thinks, Allura is an opportunist, is ambitious and thick-headed, just like Zarkon was.

But Zarkon turned, whereas Allura betters.

“Shiro,” she addresses him directly, uncertainty tainting her eyes, “You listened to the transmissions the last months… you saw the colony. What do you think her next steps could be?”

No matter how hard he tries, Shiro can’t remember a lot from before his time in captivity and as gladiator in a ring of Honerva’s medical experiments. If she ever shared her plans with him, he doesn’t remember them.

“Shiro dreams—” Keith answers in his stead but glances to him for a moment. Shiro sighs and nods.

“About clones. If it’s true that Lotor kept the colony to himself and Honerva had no say in it, there must have been something else she planned.”

“But those are dreams—” Allura says surprised.

Shiro clears his throat. “Keith is right. We must consider a possibility that they aren’t just dreams and that Honerva experimented with clones.”

Allura holds Shiro’s gaze, then casts her eyes down. “I’m sorry. Shiro.”

Shiro nods. He’s close to breaking down in tears but holds himself together. It really feels like Allura stopped seeing a traitor in him and started realizing that somewhere in between, Shiro was just another victim of Zarkon and Honerva, despite being Galra. For once, Shiro feels seen.

The rest of Team Voltron stays quiet but suddenly it’s clear as day to Shiro now. “There’s no time,” he says, throat tight. He takes a few breaths. “She’s building an army. We have to act fast.”

“I will search for readings,” Pidge says. Lance nods. “I will, uh, sit next to Pidge while they do that.”

“Shiro, you better come with me. Maybe there are more things we can resurface from your memory, bud.” Hunk waves him over. With a short glance at Keith, Shiro goes, feeling both Keith’s and Allura’s eyes on him. Hunk signs him to move down to the hangars with him; the meeting is wrapped up.

They try together but Shiro’s memories stay cryptic. The Castle is moving back into the outer galaxies, scanning for unregular activities where they last saw Zarkon’s fleet. It means more waiting for them all and thinking about the possibilities of a confrontation.

“Keith’s pretty sweet on you,” Hunk says out of nowhere and catches Shiro off-guard with it.

Shiro can’t prevent his cheeks from reddening and turns his head away while Hunk is fiddling with a few cables and a transmitter. “He’s not.”

Hunk giggles. “Oh no, he’s not,” he laughs, his face darkening when he puts up his act: “I’m Keith, we just came from a mission, but I have to visit Shiro for no reason—”

Shiro pouts. “Stop, he doesn’t… he doesn’t act like that.”

“Oh boy,” Hunk mutters and laughs. “You should be there, on missions. It’s not as if he’s talking like a waterfall or anything but whenever he opens his mouth, it’s about you.”

Shiro’s knuckles turn white as he grips the edge of the table he’s sitting on, hard. “No—”

Hunk raises an eyebrow at him. “Would it be so bad? He’s handsome.”

Shiro growls deeply, feeling despair clutching to him. Instead of taking a step back or tensing, Hunk stays his usual. It makes Shiro perk up. “You’re not afraid of my growl anymore?”

Hunk chuckles and holds the transmitter steady as he modifies it. “Nah, bud. Keith scares me a lot more and he’s _Altean_. It got me thinking that you’re a little like a space cat.”

“A what?”

“You know. A…uh. Something like a _tarmurikel_ , but from Earth? It purrs, it growls, but it’s friendly.” A small smile appears on Hunk’s face.

“That sounds nice,” Shiro agrees. “That’s the first time someone said I’m as harmless but as impressive as a tarmurikel.”

“They can scratch but only if you provoke them. That’s what I think, bud.” Hunk nods. “Raise your left arm. We’re trying to 3D scan you across the universe, or, let’s say as far as the signals reaches. If your army of clones is out there, they should be all looking like you, right?”

Shiro nods and does as Hunk orders him to do. Hunk’s words still echo inside him. They only scratch if you provoke them, Shiro thinks. He only killed when he had to.

On his way back to his room, Keith approaches him and falls in step next to him. “I found you,” Keith mutters and Shiro only nods. He can’t stop the butterflies from appearing, no matter how much he tries to push them down.

They walk back to Shiro’s room together in silence. Both lost in their thoughts. “Allura says we might need to find the White Lion first.”

“It’s a children’s story,” Shiro protests. “We can’t _find_ them.”

“We’re not so sure about that anymore,” Keith insists, looking up to Shiro. Shiro meets his gaze, thinking. “If the stories are true, someone has to channel the White Lions’ energy.”

“Me,” Shiro says without thinking. “It has to be me. We can’t afford to lose Voltron if something goes wrong.” It’s just hypothetical but Shiro’s heart starts pumping. Coran has to stay in the Castle, Team Voltron is in the Lions. There’s only him.

“I can’t afford something going wrong with _you_ , Shiro.” Keith still holds his gaze. His eyes are glassy, his cheeks are red, the Altean marks glowing. He’s trembling.

_Whenever he opens his mouth, it’s about you—_

_You’re the Champion, you’re our greatest weapon and frankly, you’re doing your job good—_

_It purrs, it growls, but it’s friendly—_

“It won’t,” Shiro says, turning to Keith. “It won’t,” he says again and hugs around Keith, wonderful, murderous, tiny Keith with white hair and the most beautiful smile Shiro ever saw.

The Castle of Lions is hit – but the Lions are on their way already. They had luck finding Honerva’s army of robeast and destroying them before the clones could be assessed to every single one, truly creating an army of terror. Honerva’s lost her mind, truly, and Shiro knows why. It’s because of Lotor’s death.

Allura is fighting against the Druids with Keith helping her. They are lucky to have two Alteans on their team, but the Druids are strong. Lance, Hunk and Pidge are holding off the clones from interfering, all pliant to Haggar’s mind control, trying to kill Voltron.

If they kill Haggar first, they don’t have to kill _them_ , Shiro thinks. He hears the White Lion purr in his mind, gently infiltrate his thoughts. With him, Shiro has his own armor in deep space and doesn’t even need a spaceship. “Thanks for choosing me,” he mutters as he moves in to find Honerva, his mother.

“Keith,” he addresses him over the communicator, “Keith. I might die.”

“You won’t, Shiro,” Keith shouts, then gasps. The Druid must have gotten to him. Shiro stays strong, reminds himself, _first_ Honerva, _then_ the Druids. He needs to stick to the plan. First Honerva, then combine Voltron through the White Lion, then clear the clones from the dark magic the Witch used on them. It’s the plan and Shiro can’t ruin it now.

“Keith, in case I’m not dying,” Shiro chuckles, empowered by the White Lion, electrified by the magic channeling through his veins and so, so sure of how he will be unable to go back now. He steps up to a crouched figure on the platform of the fleet, watching as her white hair flows in the wind. Honerva has not yet noticed him. “Keith, will you marry me?”

Shiro’s eyes go white, the White Lion taking over him, clearing him, crystalizing his every fiber and materializing big white paws out of nowhere.

He barely hears all of Team Voltron shout “WHAT?” as he takes a few steps forward, making the Witch notice him. There’s one person he hears clearly through a mutter of curses, gasps and shouting. It’s Keith.

“YES! Yes, Shiro. I will!”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's not a new chapter, but I wanted to add some additional art :) Hope you like it!

[ _Husbands_ ](https://twitter.com/CruelisB/status/1241063875912622080)

**Author's Note:**

> Tifa made this amazing art as a gift for my birthday, please love her to death the way I do and follow [her on twitter](https://twitter.com/tifa_sugar/status/1243612885802266630?s=20)!
> 
> If you want to recommend this fic to others, feel free to link or retweet this [Tweet](https://twitter.com/xYukiYaminox/status/1206735474968023041)!  
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>  If you don’t want a reply, for any reason (sometimes I feel shy when I’m reading and not up to starting a conversation, for example), feel free to sign your comment with “whisper” and I will appreciate it but not respond!  
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